Office Party Cleanup Checklist

Office holiday parties are a great way to celebrate the end of a great year. You deserve it. After all that hard work, it’s nice to relax and unwind with a few drinks and good food with your favorite coworkers.

But at the end of the party, you will probably need to bring in a cleanup crew. Depending on the size of the mess, you can hire a third-party cleaning service, such as ServiceMaster, to clean it up for you or take care of it yourself.

If you do prefer to take care of it yourself, here’s an office party cleanup checklist to stay as organized and efficient as possible:

Cleaning Before the Party

Holiday office parties are a great time to unwind, but the cleanup job afterwards is just as important.

Make things easier for yourself by making it easier for people to clean up after themselves. Here are some tricks:

Place large trash cans in common areas like the break rooms, by the reception desk, conference room, etc.

Lay down mats in high traffic areas to prevent carpet stains.

Cover tables with disposable tablecloths to prevent stains and damage to the table while quickly disposing of paper plates, cups, napkins, etc.

Post Office Cleaning Checklist

For large offices, you can create a committee that’s in charge of cleaning up after the party. This way, one person won’t get stuck with doing everything by themselves.

For small offices, everyone can take on a cleanup task. The more people who help clean up, the faster the office will be clean again. Here are some tasks to assign to each person:

Sanitize all surfaces. Use disinfects and sanitizing wipes on all surfaces to remove grease, sticky spots, and dust. Be sure to cover chairs, tables, shelves, and desks.

Spot clean stains and spills. If you notice any stains or spills during the party, attend to them right away. You never know if something may not come out after the party.

Vacuum carpets. Make sure to hit all high traffic areas as well as to get in the corners where things get pushed to the side.

Take down holiday decorations. This is something that is commonly forgotten until weeks after the party. When you do take down the decorations, make sure to keep all the small pieces together, placing them in sandwich bags and labeling them if needed. Throw out any other decorations if nobody wants them.

Mop hard surfaces and tile floors. Dirt, debris, and even salt from outside can quickly create a layer of dirt on hard floors. But it’s nothing a mop, some water, and floor cleaner shouldn’t be able to handle. Or, if the floor hasn’t been cleaned in years, you can opt for a professional tile and grout cleaning service to restore a like-new look to your hard floors.

Clean the bathroom. While it can be the least-desired cleaning task, this is probably the most important area to clean. All toilets, sinks, doors, sinks, and appliances will need to be disinfected as well as paper towels, toilet paper, and soap dispensers will need to be restocked. As nobody likes to come into a dirty bathroom after a holiday break, it’s important to get it done after the party.

Pick up large pieces of trash. To make things easier, take a large trash can with you when going through each room to pick up cups, party hats, plates, napkins, and other large, disposable party items.

Hire a Professional Service

Everyone loves office parties but nobody likes the cleanup job. You may even want to consider foregoing the cleaning altogether and hire a professional cleanup service. The experts at ServiceMaster offer janitorial services that will quickly restore the clean look to your office. Covering all the tasks mentioned above and even prep it for New Year, you can count on this team to have it done right the first time.

Speaking of New Years, you may want to consider schedule a professional carpet cleaning service so everyone can return to a fresh, clean office on the first day of work. But hurry. Cleaning schedules often fill up fast around the holidays as many companies will opt for professional cleaning services after holiday parties.

Get a Free Estimate

Be sure to give your local ServiceMaster a call for more information or a free estimate on janitorial services.

Expert in emergency fire and water restoration services, fire cleanup and water damage cleanup, mold removal, as well as carpet and upholstery cleaning services. Contributor to several restoration and cleaning blogs.